


Button House

by Delilah_Wise



Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Character Development, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Slow Romance, The Captain is Gay (Ghosts TV 2019)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28862049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delilah_Wise/pseuds/Delilah_Wise
Summary: It's an average day at Button House when the ghosts find a dead girl walking up their driveway. The Captain and Pat take Matilda under their wings as she adapts to her new life as a ghost at Button House. Along the way, she makes new friends and finds herself falling for one head in particular.
Relationships: Humphrey's Head (Ghosts TV 2019)/Original Female Character(s), One Whole Humphrey (Ghosts TV 2019)/Original Female Character(s), Pat Butcher/The Captain (Ghosts TV 2019)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 42





	1. Matilda

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Notes:
> 
> This is my first Ghosts fanfic. It's my current special interest; I'm obsessed with the show. There are not nearly enough stories out there, so I'm writing my own.
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
> Enjoy x

"MARCUS! Watch out!"

Matilda opens her eyes. Her vision is blurry. She lifts her head from her chest, groaning at the sharp pain on the left side of her head. She rests her head back against the headrest of her boyfriend's passenger seat. Her boyfriend!

"Marcus?" She croaks, turning her head slightly towards the driver's seat. "Marcus?"

Her boyfriend sits unconscious; hands strewed across his lap.

Matilda reaches for Marcus' hand, feeling for his pulse, her first aid instincts overtaking her panic. A sigh of relief escaping her lips as she feels it. His pulse is there, although weak. Her mobile phone had been in her hand before everything went dark. Her hands feel around for the device, not wanting to move her head too much, for she most definitely has a concussion. It's no use; she can't find it. She remembers they had driven past a gateway for a large manor house. If she could only climb out of the car, she could ask for help.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she climbs out; the car door must have opened in the crash. She zips her winter coat up to her chin, hoping for added protection around her neck, and she sets off slowly. Once she makes it back on the road, she can see the gateway.

She stumbles down the road, wishing a car would drive past and help her. Every step she takes sends shooting pains down her neck. Her vision is becoming even blurrier as she becomes dizzier.

"Button House," she mutters when she reaches the gateway and reads the sign.

Every part of her body is aching. She pauses for a moment to lean against the brick post. Closing her eyes, she takes a few deep breaths. Upon opening them again, she glances down the driveway, spotting a small car. She hopes more than anything that the owners are home.

"I can do this," she breathes, limping on her way down the driveway.

Blood, sweat, and now tears are dripping down her face. The pain is almost too much to handle. She dares not reach up to feel her head wound. Right now, she has only one thought on her mind, 'help'!

* * *

"NO, B4, B4," Robin argues with Julian, who had moved his chess piece to the wrong square on the board.

"It's exhausting," Julian complains. "I don't see why we can't play like we usually do." He mutters to himself, exerting more energy in moving Robin's piece to B4.

Robin grunts, "B4," and nods.

"Alison, Alison!" Kitty follows behind her best friend. "Do you think I might be able to read the next page of my book?" She asks. "The last page ended in quite the cliff hanger, and in the middle of the sentence," Kitty explains her strife as they wander through the common area.

"Absolute filth, I will not tolerate such literature in this house," Lady Button exclaims, following behind them.

"Not enjoying this one, eh, Fanny," Julian smirks.

Lady Button gasps in indignation, "How dare you?" She turns, walking through the nearest wall.

"Must you, Julian," Pat sends his fellow ghost a disappointed frown, standing to follow Fanny.

"There be a girl bleeding on 'er 'ead outside," Mary announces from the window. "Oh, we be 'aving a new friend." She adds, excited.

The rest of the ghosts eagerly rush to the window.

"I order you all to step aside." The Captain's request goes unheard.

"You couldn't even order a dog to do your bidding," Thomas tells him, turning to gaze out at their visitor.

"Now, Mary, when you say 'girl' just how young are you talking?" Julian adjusts his tie, attempting to peer over the other's heads.

"She looks to be the age of twenty-five," Thomas stares longingly. "Her blonde wavy hair frames her fair face, though the wound upon her temple bleeds red as her lips, for never has one seen such beauteous grace from a lady, from nature, or the moon's eclipse." He sighs.

"Moonah eclipse?" Robin stares up at the cloudless sky. "No, Moonah," he frowns at Thomas.

Julian rolls his eyes, losing interest.

"She no dead," Robin claims, stepping away.

"She certainly looks dead," Thomas counters, almost hopeful.

"Me here longer. Me know when people dead." Robin boasts, returning to the chessboard.

"I know when people dead," Thomas corrects the eldest member of their group. "Are dead? He corrects himself with frustration.

"Who's dead?" Kitty asks, wandering back through behind Alison.

"Alison, it appears a young woman has died nearby. She's making her way across our driveway." The Captain rocks forward on his toes; his swagger stick gripped behind his back.

Alison turns on her heel, running straight through Kitty, who doubles over in pain. "A dead woman," Alison frowns.

The other ghosts step aside as she rushes to the window, peering down as the young woman trips over, onto her knees. From her vantage point, Alison can see her blonde hair drenched in blood, running down her face.

"Poor thing," Mary sighs.

"So, what happens now?" Alison wonders aloud. She had been curious about how the ghosts accept new members into their group. "Does someone go introduce themselves?" Alison asks, scanning the ghosts' faces behind her.

"Not it!" They all exclaim, one after the other.

"Alison, as the most present occupant of Button House, perhaps she will be less frightened if you were to greet her." The Captain suggests.

"I can't; I'm not a ghost. I can't explain all this." Alison's eyes widen as she gestures to her ghostly friends.

"We've all had a go or two at comforting the newly dead." The Captain explains. " I did Patrick." He adds, then clears his throat. "In that, I helped him settle that first day, showed him around the place, to his room." He says, chin high.

"I vowed never again after Julian," Thomas announces, glaring at the man relaxed across the sofa. The man in question shrugs, smirking across the room at Thomas.

"I'm technically the youngest," Julian announces, then gestures to his lack of trousers when he gains their attention.

"If someone were to hold me, I'll give it a go." Humphrey's head says.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alison awkwardly admits. "Fine, I'll do it." She sighs dejectedly, she heads out the common area, towards the front door. "What should I say? " She asks, feeling both parts nervous and excited.

"Ask what her names be," Mary tells her.

"I can do that." Alison nods.

"Do what?" Mike asks, sat at the kitchen table with a cuppa tea and the daily newspaper.

"We have a new tenant."

"Oh," he nods, lifting his mug up. "What?" he asks.

"New ghost. She looks mid-twenties, head injury, possible car accident I'm thinking" Alison explains. "I'm going to say hello."

"Good luck." Mike goes back to his paper, now used to his wife's ghostly abilities.

"Okay, guys, you stay here. We don't want to scare her." Alison tells them, before stepping outside, closing the door behind her.

"She's talking about you, Robin." Julian comments, walking into the kitchen to read the newspaper over Mike's shoulder.

"No, you," Robin follows behind, childishly.

The woman is leaning against the broken fountain, trying to regain some energy to stand and attempt walking again. Alison takes a deep breath, walking over to her.

"Hi, my name is Alison." She crouches down to the woman's level. "What's your name?"

"I need help." She says breathlessly. "Our car, we hit a tree, something came out of woods, please, my boyfriend." She turns back towards the gate, where she came from, but winces from her head injury.

"Of course, what's your name?" Alison asks again.

"Matilda, my boyfriend is Marcus." She answers. "Are you calling an ambulance?"

"Look, Matilda, there's no easy way to say this, but... I'm afraid you're dead." Alison breaks the news.

Matilda stares up at her, sudden fear in her eyes. "I'm not dead." She uses the fountain to lift herself up to her feet. "I need help, my head; there's blood." She lifts her hand up, wiping the blood from her eyes.

Alison frowns, the ghosts she knew looked the same as when they died. Pat can't remove his arrow. Mary can't clean the soot from her face. Most importantly, Thomas can't clean the blood from his waistcoat. Matilda shouldn't be able to clean the blood from her eyes. Hands quivering, Alison reaches out slowly for the other woman's arm, gently lowering her fingers to grace her forearm. A shiver runs down her spine.

"MIKE!" She screams, wrapping her arms around Matilda, helping her towards the house.

Mike bursts out the front door, the newspaper still in hand. "Who's that?"

"She's not dead, call an ambulance!" Alison shouts.

Mike stands frozen in a panic for a moment, then runs back into the kitchen as Alison helps Matilda in behind him, sitting her in a chair at the table. She gently brushes Matilda's hair out of her face. Her injury runs around from her hairline to behind her ear. Alison grabs a tea towel, applying pressure to her wound.

"I need an ambulance," Mike says, phone to his ear.

"What's happening, Alison?" Kitty asks as the ghosts follow her in.

"She's not dead." Alison quickly answers, soothing Matilda.

"We not be getting new friend?" Mary asks.

"It appears not." The Captain grumbles.

"Me say not dead." Robin jumps up and down.

"Well done, Robin." Pat grins, having joined the group again.

"Clean that girl's face; she's bleeding all over the kitchen table." Lady Button complains.

"If she were to die, Alison, she should not be covered in blood. No one wishes to spend eternity covered in blood." Thomas sighs dramatically, hand covering his musket ball wound.

"They're going to be ten minutes," Mike says, phone in the crook of his neck.

"My boyfriend, he's still in the car," Matilda mutters, leaning back in the chair.

Mike looks at Alison.

"Their car crashed into a tree." She explains.

Mike goes back to the '999' operator on the phone to relay the new information.

"Alison, clean her up," Fanny repeats.

"Okay, okay, Matilda, I'm going to clean your face a bit." Alison places the tea towel down.

She grabs a mixing bowl from the cupboard, filling it with warm water and soaking a flannel. She returns, wrings the flannel and gently cleans the blood from Matilda's cheek, eyes and forehead.

"Much better," Fanny pouts approvingly.

Alison picks the tea towel back up as a thin trickle of blood starts down her forehead. She cleans it back up, applying the pressure back on the wound.

"Oh, goodness, Mike, how long?" She asks, seriously starting to worry. The wound is deeper than she expected.

"Five minutes," he answers.

"Why did you think I was dead?" Matilda asks, her head becoming heavier in Alison's hand.

"I don't want to scare you, but you don't look too lively right now." She tries to lighten her mood.

"Can you see dead people?" Matilda coughs a laugh, blood spluttering onto her chin. Alison rushes to wipe it away.

"Sixth Sense." Pat grins. "I hope she stays. She sounds like a hoot."

"She's not dead, Patrick." The Captain frowns.

"'Course not." Pat lowers his head in embarrassment.

"You could say I'm haunted," Alison turns to the group behind her, sending them a 'be quiet' look.

Matilda looks behind Alison but doesn't manage to lock eyes with any of the ghosts. She gives up looking, tiredness taking over as her head falls back.

"Matilda?" Alison calls her name.

The woman groans, eyes rolling back in her head.

"Mike, help me lie her down." Alison calls her husband.

Together, they lift Matilda from the chair, lying her down on the kitchen floor.

"Oh, isn't she a pretty one?" Humphrey's head states, somehow having found his way onto the kitchen floor himself.

"Oh, Go- Humphrey," Alison jumps in shock. "Can someone pick up Humphrey?" She asks, using the flannel to apply pressure to Matilda's head injury.

"Wee, woo, wee, woo." Robin starts screaming.

"Isn't this fun?" Kitty giggles. "Wee, woo." She attempts to harmonise with Robin.

"Guys, please," Alison shouts, shaking the unconscious woman's shoulders gently.

"What Robin is trying to say, is that the ambulance is coming." The Captain explains.

"The ambulance is coming," she repeats to Mike.

"I'll go meet them," Mike leaves.

"Matilda, can you hear me?" Alison asks softly. "Matilda? The ambulance is here."

The ghosts all part for the paramedics to usher into the kitchen.

"Please, step aside, ma'am." A paramedic gently pushes Alison out of the way.

Mike pulls her into a hug. "I hope she doesn't die."

"Mike!" She leans back to stare up at him.

"I just mean, we don't need any more ghosts in this place. Well, you don't." He explains, but Alison shakes her head, burying it back in her husband's neck and sighing deeply. "The phone operator said they sent a second ambulance to the boyfriend in the car." He adds.

"Good, Matilda was worried about him." She turns to watch the paramedics.

They've removed her large coat to check her chest for any injuries, but as far as Alison can see, her only injury is the head wound. One paramedic is wrapping bandages over a gauze as the other leaves to fetch the gurney. She had heard them radio to the hospital that their patient's pulse was becoming faint; they would be fifteen minutes and would need a bed free in the Intensive Care Unit.

The ghosts are stood around Alison and Mike, watching intensely as the second paramedic returns with the gurney and a board to manoeuvre Matilda onto. He passes a brace to the first paramedic, to attach around the patient's neck.

Without warning, Matilda bolts upright. Alison gasps loudly in shock, trying to step back but ends up stepping onto Mike's feet, causing him to yell in pain.

The paramedics look over, surprised.

"Are you okay, love?" the first paramedic asks.

"The shock just hit me, sorry," she apologises.

"Aw, she dead now," Robin complains.

"That's a shame," Pat sighs, patting Robin's shoulder.

"Oh, my, goodness," Matilda's eyes flitter back and forth between the nine faces stood in front of her.

"Ah, yes," The Captain nods, gesturing at the woman sat in front of them on the kitchen floor. "I do believe she can see us now."

"What gave it away?" Pat sarcastically asks the Captain.

"Well, there's certainly no need for that tone of voice," the Captain rolls his shoulders back, standing tall.

"Sorry about this lot, Miss Matilda," Humphrey's head apologises, gaining the woman's attention, who then proceeds to scream in terror at the sight before her, scrambling to her feet.

"Humphrey, what did we say?" Alison sighs, regretting it immediately when the paramedics look at her again, as they roll Matilda's dead body onto the board. "Sorry, just talking to my husband," she pats Mike's chest.

"Yeah, I'm Humphrey," Mike lies dreadfully.

The paramedics quickly go about their job, lifting Matilda onto the gurney.

"What's happening? Alison, please tell me what's happening?" Matilda begs the one person she recognises, walking over to the woman who had helped her.

Alison looks over to the gurney, and Matilda follows her gaze, shrieking when she comes face to face with herself.

"Am I dead?" Matilda follows the paramedics out to the ambulance. "Marcus? What about Marcus? Where is he?" She asks, but the paramedics don't answer her.

"I'm afraid they can't hear you?"

Matilda turns to find a short man with part of an arrow sticking out of his neck. "Bloody hell," she averts her eyes.

"Sorry, it's not easy looking at me, is it?" He sighs.

"No, it's not," she awkwardly looks back, feeling strangely calm in his presence.

"I'm Pat, been here since 1984," he holds his hand out, grinning sincerely.

Matilda looks up over his head at the gathering of people, from apparently many different periods, outside Button House.

"I'm dead?" She asks.

"Hi dead, nice to meet you," Pat jokes.

Matilda's laugh turns into a sob. She rubs her face, her hands coming off clean. She reaches up to touch her wound, but her fingers meet the gauze and bandage the paramedic had dressed her head with before she died.

"A little joke to lighten the mood there, but yes, you're dead, we all are." He gestures behind him. "Except Alison and Mike, they own Button House, but Alison can see and hear us, so it's not all bad."

Matilda nods, not entirely sure this is real, or a coma induced dream, well, rather a nightmare. If she is in a coma, she doesn't want to stress herself into actually dying, so she might as well go along with it. She's certainly had weirder dreams.

"Hello Pat, my name is Matilda." She holds her own hand out, and they shake. "Nice to meet you."


	2. Pat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> Each chapter is going to be dedicated to Matilda becoming closer friends with a different person. The chapter will be named after each new friend.

Pat had guided her into the common area for 'food club'. It's all too overwhelming. She sits in a chair, staring into the fireplace, trying to come up with a logical explanation to why she is here. All the while, the so-called ghosts of Button House discuss which foods they favoured and missed from when they were alive. Matilda still felt alive. She's hopeful this is a coma and she would wake up in a few days or weeks with an amazing novel idea.

"Matilda, what's your favourite food?" Pat asks, having gone around the group, asking the same question.

"I, erm-" She stutters.

"Speak up; a lady never mumbles," the Edwardian woman sat pin straight on the couch snaps at her.

"I-" She begins again, feeling all eyes staring into her soul. "I need some space," she stands, quickly vacating the room, and walking straight through the front door out into the cold, late afternoon air.

Not that she could feel it. She couldn't feel anything. There's no pain from her head wound, and there's no shivering from the cold. That was a blessing at least since the paramedics had removed her coat. Matilda knows there isn't likely to be anything left on the country road to indicate a crash had occurred there, but she wanted to go back to the site anyway. She needs to be close to Marcus.

Matilda sets off down the driveway. It was a lot darker now as it nears the end of October. She hopes she can wake up from this nightmare before Christmas. As she nears the gatepost, she cranes her neck, trying to see the crash site over the broken wall, but when she reaches the end of the drive, she finds herself turned around walking back towards the house.

"What?" Matilda mutters, turning back around and trying to jog onto the road, only for the same thing to happen. "NO!" She cries, trying, again and again, tears streaming down her face, as she runs faster and faster, in her attempt to return to Marcus, and escape this hellhole.

On the first floor, Pat watches with unease from the window as their newest resident of Button House attempts to leave the grounds, over and over again.

"I should go help her," Pat states, feeling a sense of obligation, since he had been the first, and only one, to introduce himself.

"Leave her be, Pat. She asked for some time alone." The Captain reminds him, eyes glued to the laptop where Alison had put on a Netflix documentary, 'World War II in colour'.

Lady Button and Thomas have sat themselves either side of the Captain, feigning disinterest in the programme, but still paying attention. Kitty had somehow convinced Julian to turn the pages of her current book between games of golf on Alison's phone. Alison and Mike were in their bedroom, no doubt discussing current events. Mary and Robin were off in the garden, doing whatever they do when they disappear together. And who knows where Humphrey had gotten to, his head or his body. It didn't seem like anyone else was going to help their distressed housemate.

"It's my fault, we should have postponed food club, or cancelled it altogether. She needed time to adjust," Pat sighs, his heart heavy as Matilda drops to the ground, hugging her knees as she appears to be crying. "That's it, I'm going," Pat announces.

"If you're going will you just go, Pat, some of us are trying to watch this television programme," Thomas sighs, without taking his eyes off the screen.

"The lack of empathy is astounding," Pat reprimands them before storming off.

* * *

"Matilda?" Pat stands a few feet from the young woman. She's leaning against the gatepost, facing the road and quite audibly crying. "Oh, dear," he sighs sadly when Matilda looks up, her cheeks tear-stained.

"I'm fine," Matilda reaches up to wipe her eyes to find them already dry. She frowns, running her hands down her face to find no trace of her tears.

"Yes, that happens," Pat tells her, sitting down beside her. "We can't change our state of being for too long, so tears quickly dry, we don't get sweaty, our hair returns to it's perfectly styled do," his hand flutters up to gesture his own seventies styled hair, making Matilda chuckle. "And if I were to remove this arrow from my neck, it would return but moments later." He smiles sadly.

Matilda stares at the arrow, "I'm sorry, am I selfish? I'm just struggling to understand what's going on here. I wanted to be close to Marcus." She sighs. "I'm complaining again, sorry, there are much worse ways to spend however long we're here for, and I'm assuming none of you can leave either?" She asks.

Pat shakes his head, "It's a lot to take in, Matilda, but you'll get there." His face lightens up, "What's good though, is that we've all gone through the same thing, and we all complained about it, but we had each other to get through it. If you ever need a shoulder, we're here for you," he remembers his fellow ghosts currently watching the television. "Well, I'm here for you, anyway."

Matilda smiles sadly, "Thank you, Pat." She faces back down the drive, chin resting on her knees.

"And I am sorry for throwing you in at the deep end back there, with food club." He apologises.

"Do you have a lot of clubs?" She asks, turning to face him.

"Yeah, we've had tons over the years, but once you've been around a few decades, you run out of things to talk about," Pat explains. "With you here now, and when you feel like it, you can tell us about all the interesting things you did in your life." He suggests.

"I'm only twenty-six," she scoffs "I've not done anything exciting. Marcus and I have booked a holiday to Italy in the summer actually. Three weeks backpacking from Palermo to Milan." She feels her mood brighten as she thinks about the future; she just hopes she can wake up and recover before then.

"Well, any old story is more interesting than the repeated rambles of that lot," Pat points out, nodding back to the house.

Matilda chuckles, leaning her head against the man's shoulder with a sigh. "Thank you, Pat. You've been the calming presence that I need." She tells him.

Pat's eyes widen with pride; he lifts his hand to pat her head soothingly. Memories of his son, Daley, flood back to the forefront of his mind. He feels himself tearing up and sniffles to prevent the inevitable.

"Are you alright, Pat?" Matilda asks, glancing up at him.

"It's been a while since I've had someone to comfort like this. I had a son, Daley; he was only seven when I died, he's got his own son now. He's got my name," he grins. "They visit once a year, on my death day."

"Do you celebrate your death day?" Matilda asks curiously.

"No, not really, it can be upsetting" He explains. "Actually, you're taking your day of death quite well."

"To be honest, Pat, I'm quite convinced I'm in a coma at the hospital and all this is some nightmare," Matilda admits, staring back off into the woods.

"I'm not sure how I can convince you otherwise," Pat says. "Only time will tell."

"At least you didn't dismiss it," Matilda smiles.

Pat smiles, suspecting they'll be there a while, he begins telling her stories of his time as a scoutmaster until the sky grows darker still. "Shall we head back?" He asks. "I can show you around the house."

Matilda nods, allowing Pat to help her to her feet. She had lost track of time, absentmindedly listening to Pat's stories. She was always getting lost in her own head, daydreaming the world away. It was how she and Marcus had met at university. She pauses when they reach the fountain, spotting dark spots on the wall where she had been leaning. Walking over, she realises that's her blood.

"Matilda?" Pat calls her attention.

She turns, smiling sincerely at the man. "I'll just be a minute; you go ahead."

As soon as Pat is inside the house, she sits on the fountain wall staring up at the clear night sky. She has always found the vast nothingness of space to be very calming. It's reassuring that, even though she's stuck in this hellish nightmare for the foreseeable future, the world is still spinning and moving forward. Matilda takes a deep breath, feeling very content all of a sudden. Perhaps the nurses have just given her a shot of morphine. Closing her eyes, she sighs, "I can do this."

"Look out below!" A voice calls from above.

She opens her eyes just in time to see a head fall into the fountain, and not make a splash. She scrambles to her feet, screaming.

"I'm sorry, Miss Matilda." The head speaks from beneath the water.

Matilda squeezes her eyes shut. "You're not real, not real." She mutters to herself, covering her ears to stop hearing the head's voice.

Pat had been catching up the Captain on the progress he had made with Matilda when they heard the frightening scream from outside. The two men share a look, before dashing out of the front door.

"We be sorry," Mary is trying to tell the new woman, who has her ears covered and is talking to herself.

"What the bally hell is going on here?" The Captain heads straight to Mary and Robin, both of whom start blaming the other.

Pat rushes over to Matilda, placing a gentle hand on her wrist, trying to pull it away so he can talk to her.

She screams again, opening her eyes as she jumps back in fear.

"It's just me, Matilda." He tells her. "You're okay. What happened?"

"The- the head," she stutters, pointing to the fountain.

"That's Humphrey," he explains.

"It has a name!" she exclaims.

"Course he has a name, he's a person."

"Bit rude, innit," Humphrey comments.

"Make him stop," she cries, hands covering her ears again.

"Yeah, Humphrey, I don't think you talking is helping, mate," Pat tells him.

"I'll zip it then," he hums.

"Robin, go get Humphrey," the Captain orders.

"Go get Humphrey," Robin complains, stomping over to the fountain and lifting Humphrey's dry head out of the water.

"I apologise, Miss Matilda," Humphrey calls behind as he's carried back into the house, Mary following after them.

"Well, that's that, Matilda, perhaps it's time we retired to our rooms for the night," the Captain suggests. "It's been quite an exciting day."

"Can we sleep?" Matilda asks, unsure since she's already convinced, she's unconscious in a coma. "Because I'm exhausted."

"Ah, yes," The Captain nods. "That's to be expected." He rocks on his toes, attempting to sound understanding, but failing.

"I can help you chose your room, Matilda." Pat offers.

"Thank you, Pat." She nods, following him closely into the house.

Pat points out everything he believes to be of interest as he guides her down the corridor of the first floor but Matilda is still too overwhelmed to pay attention.

"Who was the war officer?" Matilda asks, interrupting Pat midsentence.

"That's the Captain. He can be stern and a little bossy, but he keeps us all in line. I don't know the sort of trouble we'd be in without him." Pat adjusts his glasses.

"Just the Captain?" She asks.

"Yeah, he likes to keep to himself, but he's there whenever you need him."

"He sounds like a typical war captain," she comments, remembering her university module on European conflicts of the Early Twentieth Century.

"Most of us sleep on this floor." Pat goes back to his tour. "There's a couple of spare bedrooms down that end," he points. "Or there's one on the ground floor, and one on the second floor, which is technically the attic." Pat lists off the vacant rooms.

"Could I have the one in the attic?" She asks, excitement taking over. "I wanted the attic bedroom at home as a teenager, but my parents gave it to my brother." She explains.

"What's your brother called?" Pat asks. "It's important to remember, Matilda." He tells her, guiding her up to the attic bedroom, beside the attic library.

"Mathew." She tells him. "We never got on. He was three years older than me, but, at the end of the day, we always looked out for each other."

"Well, that's what siblings are for, aren't they?" Pat chuckles. "Actually, I don't know. The closest I had was my best mate, who my wife had an affair with and then married after I died." He shrugs.

"Sounds like a brother to me," she jokes, stopping as they reach her new bedroom.

Pat quirks his head with curiosity but doesn't question her. "Well," he goes to tap the door, forgetting as his hand falls through. "Not too many of the others venture this far up on the day-to-day. Just be careful of Humphrey's body." He warns.

"The head's body is here too." She states, wide-eyed.

"Oh, yeah, he tends to wander around like a headless chicken," Pat smiles.

Matilda grins, "You remind me of my dad. He was one of the happiest people I ever knew."

Pat squeaks, "Sleep well, Matilda." Then abruptly leaves.

Matilda watches him leave, then turns to face her new bedroom door. She wonders how she will open it when she remembers she can walk through doors, as she had earlier with the front door. Her brain really was trying to convince her that she was a ghost. She closes her eyes and steps through the door.

Opening her eyes, she scans the room. A double bed against the same wall as the door, two bedside tables either side, a wardrobe in the alcove beside the window overlooking the front of the house, and a chest of drawers against the chimney breast. There are three photo frames atop the drawers. Matilda walks over to inspect them. She recognises the older Edwardian woman in the frame on the left but doesn't recognise the man in the right frame or anyone in the family picture in the centre. She hopes her brain isn't twisted enough to imagine the ghost of a child. That's just too sad.

She glances out of the window, but it's far too dark for her to see anything. With little else to do right now, she perches on the end of her new bed and takes a deep breath. She needs to rest. Shuffling back, she lies her head on a plump pillow, and falls quickly asleep, despite her inner turmoil.

Back in the common area, Pat rushes in, full of excitement, interrupting an argument between Julian and Thomas.

"You'll never guess what, guys. Matilda said I remind her of her dad," he grins. "I always wanted a daughter, but Carol just wanted the one child, and I respected that, but I'd wanted a big family. I suppose that's why I became a scoutmaster," He reflects.

Lady Button stands, taking her leave for the peace and quiet of her room. Once Pat gets started, it can be a while before he stops, so gradually, the rest of them follow in Fanny's footsteps, off to their own bedroom.

"It's quite admirable of you to take young Matilda under your wing, Patrick," the Captain states, adjusting his tie.

"Thank you, Cap," Pat smiles. "It's exciting, isn't it?"

The Captain raises his eyebrows inquisitively.

"Having a new resident? Think of all the stories she'll be able to tell. It's been a while since any of us have had anything new to offer during our clubs." Pat explains.

"Quite," the Captain clears his throat, walking to the window to look over where the young woman had been alive on the driveway, only this afternoon. "I overheard you two talking on the second floor." He admits.

Put blushes beside him. "I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" He asks, not wanting to have insulted the Captain.

"Not at all, Patrick. You were both spot on. A typical war captain." He rocks forward on to his toes, then back again.

"I meant what I said; you're usually the first person I go to with a problem," Pat tells him.

"Thank you, Pat," he hides his small smile by walking into the centre of the room. "We shall have her introduce herself to the group tomorrow morning. I shall expect a good night's sleep has done her a world of good; we can see what she has to say for herself." He states, clearing his throat.

"Great idea, Cap," Pat grins. "I'll rally the guys right after breakfast," he giddily walks away.

"Right, well, good night, Patrick," the Captain tells the other man, marching off in the opposite direction towards his own bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave REVIEWS and KUDOS!
> 
> Instagram (Delilah.Wise)


	3. Kitty

"Matilda!"

Matilda scrunches her face, trying to remain asleep, but a smile graces her face either way. She rolls over in bed, sleepily groaning, "Marcus," as she reaches out for him.

"Good Lord, no, Matilda."

Matilda opens her eyes, finding the Captain stood at the side of her bed. She jumps up in surprise, "Sorry." She apologises without reason. "No, wait, what are you doing in my room?" She asks.

"It's morning," the Captain explains.

"It's not like I have any plans." She sits crossed legged atop the bed.

The Captain raises an eyebrow, "We'd like to formally introduce ourselves, and you, in turn, can tell us a bit about yourself."

Matilda didn't much like being woken up or told what to do. Still, in this case, it was worthwhile as she was curious about the different characters of Button House.

"Let's go, then." She climbs off the bed, following behind the Captain. "Don't expect me to wake up this early every day." She warns, trying to have some good-natured banter.

"Now listen here, Matilda," the Captain pauses on the landing between the second and first floors, holding his swagger stick out as a barrier. "We adhere to a strict schedule at Button House, and I will not tolerate laziness, not in my ranks." He tells her sternly.

"Ranks?" She questions. "Look, Captain, I'm not saying that I won't participate in all the clubs and activities you have planned. It honestly sounds like a fun way to spend my time here. However, my morning routine involves me not being woken up at... why does the clock say quarter past three?" She interrupts her own rambling when she notices the grandfather clock.

"Ah, yes, Fanny is forced to relive her death every morning at three o'clock," the Captain explains.

"It's three in the morning!" She exclaims.

"Of course not, we moved the hour hand backwards, so she's pushed out the window at eight o'clock." He clarifies.

"Did you say pushed?"

"Yes, by her husband."

"It's always the husband," she shakes her head disappointedly. "Anyway, as I was saying, please don't wake me up again, except for an emergency. Your morning routine does not involve me, this is my first day." She finishes her coherent ramblings.

"Deal, for now." The Captain holds his hand out.

Matilda smiles, shaking his hand.

"Firm grip." He nods appreciatively.

She snorts as they continue towards the common area. When they arrive, a young woman in a burgundy dress is standing beside the colonial columns.

"Hello!" Kitty sings. "My name is Katherine, but all my friends call me Kitty. You can call me Kitty too. I'm sure we'll become quick friends. Do you have a nickname, Matilda?"

"I- I-" Matilda stutters, mouth agape, eyes flickering between the many faces gathered around the couch, as they walk into the centre of the room.

"What did I tell you about mumbling?" The older lady snaps disapprovingly.

"Give the girl some space," the Regency man stands, strutting over to her, taking her hand. "I am Thomas Thorne," he introduces himself, ducking his head to kiss her knuckle.

"Hi?" She smiles, glancing at Pat nervously.

"Hello," Thomas grins. "And might I say, you look just like Rachel Green."

"You've seen Friends?" She asks, very amused at the thought of a group of ghosts sat around watching TV.

"Alright, mate, leave her alone, she's not a new toy," Pat stands. "Sit down everyone." He ushers the Captain and Thomas to sit on the surrounding chairs.

Kitty takes Matilda's hand, "There's nothing to worry about, Matilda, we're like one big family." Kitty pulls her in front of the group. "Fanny is like our grandmother," she gestures to the older woman sat on the couch.

Fanny scoffs in dismay, pouting and looking away.

"The Captain is our father, and Pat and Julian are our uncles." Kitty continues, pointing each person out to Matilda.

"Absolutely not," Captain shakes his head.

"I was the favourite uncle amongst my nephews," Julian comments. "Bought them both their first dirty magazine," he grins.

"Well, what does that make me?" Thomas asks, perching on the arm of the couch, beside Julian.

"Thomas, Mary and I are the children," Kitty swings her dress around, rather childishly. "Oh, Matilda, you can be our sister too."

"What bout me?" Robin asks.

"You're the pet dog, mate," Julian tells him. "That's why the bitches listen to you." He laughs.

"Bitches?" Matilda frowns.

"Our neighbour in the nearby village calls his dogs bitches," Pat clarifies. "Not sure they have actual names."

"Who am I then, in this family?" Humphrey's head asks.

Matilda flinches, nervously scanning the room for the decapitated head.

"Humphrey, you can be our grandfather?" Kitty giggles, covering her mouth.

"I'm not that old," he opposes. "I barely made it to my forties."

"It's difficult to tell when you're usually just a head, Humphrey," Pat tells him, looking beneath the coffee table beside Matilda.

She crouches slightly to glance below and catches a glimpse of the head, thankfully he's facing the other way. She stands tall, cautiously sidestepping away from the coffee table, standing next to the fireplace.

"Right, now that we're all gathered," Pat begins. "I thought it would be nice for our newest member to introduce herself, Matilda?" He holds his hands out to present her to the group.

Kitty, Mary, Robin and Thomas clap as she steps in the centre of the rug.

"I'm clapping too, somewhere," Humphrey announces.

"Good luck," Pat gives her a double thumbs-up, picking Humphrey up from beneath the coffee table, and squeezing in between Julian and Fanny on the couch, Humphrey sat on his lap, staring at her.

Matilda stares wide-eyed at the head. She wasn't sure she would be able to get used to seeing a disembodied head around the house. Hopefully, she wouldn't be here for long. She lets her eyes wander from face to face and wonders why her unconscious mind would force her to speak in front of a group of strangers.

"Hello," she waves awkwardly. "I'm Matilda, Matilda Martin. I'm from Kent originally but moved to Surrey for university and never left. I'm a History teacher now, at the local secondary school."

Her audience 'oohs' at the mention of history.

"No doubt you teach the children about the war," the Captain announces, confidently with a smile.

"Erm, yes, both world wars," she answers.

"Does you teach about the Stuarts?" Mary asks.

"Well, we teach the Tudor period from Henry VIII to Elizabeth," she tries to ignore the head's cheer, but unsuccessfully flinches. "Then we look at James the first of England, and touch upon the witch trials."

"Oh, no," Pat turns to Mary, sat wincing on a nearby chair.

"We don't mention the trials," Julian tells her, an air of amusement around him.

Matilda takes in Mary's dress, sooty face and the plume of smoke emanating from her, "Oh, Mary, I am sorry."

"It's alright," she says, still tensing.

"Henry VIII once dined here," Humphrey announces.

"Really!" Matilda asks in fascination, turning and shuddering when she makes eye contact with the head. "That's interesting!" She grimaces, looking above him.

"Do you teach the Regency period?" Thomas asks her.

"That period is usually discussed in literature classes, because of the number of classics from then," Matilda explains.

"It certainly was a fruitful time for great works. I myself was a poet of the time," Thomas stares off.

"Like Byron?" She asks.

Thomas gasps, hurt, "Everyone knows of he, the one who stole my verses, and yet I am left unknown by the modern world."

"He plagiarised your work?" Matilda frowns.

"Yes, and had I not died so young, I would have taken him to the highest courts and made a name for myself." He assures them all.

"Byron died in Greece; I believe," Matilda comments the only fact she knows about this man's foe.

"Greece!" Thomas exclaims joyfully. "Why would one choose to die in Greece?" He chuckles.

"I doubt it was his choice," she shrugs. "There's nothing else for me to really tell you about myself." She adds, hoping she can sit down now.

"Do tell us about your boyfriend, Matilda," Kitty asks excitedly.

"I'm sure Matilda doesn't want-" Captain begins before being interrupted.

"Oh, yes, that would be nice," Mary agrees, and the majority of the room hums in agreement.

"Is he a noble gentleman?" Fanny asks.

"He's a history professor at the University of Surrey." She answers, and Fanny nods, impressed.

"Saucy," Julian comments. "The teacher-student kink was a favourite of Margot's." He adds.

"He wasn't my teacher at the time," she defends herself, with the tone of someone who has had to defend herself on this issue before. "His name is Marcus. We've been together six years, and he was a PhD student and a TA when we met," Matilda explains.

"And ye not yet be married?" Mary questions.

"No, we aren't," she grins. "I do think he was going to propose yesterday, though."

"How unfortunate!" Thomas cries.

"He told me he was taking us out to dinner, in the nearby village. He's been acting strange too, for the last couple of weeks. So yesterday afternoon, I spent hours getting ready. I styled my hair into these waves, put on some makeup and red lipstick, he likes it when I wear red lipstick, and I chose this outfit." She glances down at her black flared trousers, red turtleneck, and black blouse, realising she would be stuck in the same clothes for the time being. She doesn't mind, though; she had chosen well.

"I do like your trousers, Tilda," Kitty tells her, emphasising the nickname.

Matilda furrows her brow, "What?"

"Oh, I am sorry, Matilda," Kitty begins to cry. "I did hope we would become good friends."

"It's just, my dad used to call me Tilda," she explains. "If you want, you can call me Tilly," she suggests.

Kitty's tears disappear instantly, "Yes, that would be nice, Tilly," she giggles. "You can continue with your story, Tilly."

"Thank you, Kitty. Well, we were on our way into the village when I saw something run out of the woods. I called for Marcus to watch out and the next thing I know, I'm waking up with my head bleeding, and Marcus is unconscious beside me." She tears up. "I wish I knew if he was okay." She sobs.

Pat passes Humphrey's head to Julian, who, in turn, passes the head to Thomas, as Pat rushes to comfort their newest housemate. "There, there, maybe Alison can help?" He suggests, questioning the rest of the group.

Together, they burst through the walls into the kitchen where Alison and Mike had been enjoying a quiet conversation by themselves.

"That didn't last long," Alison comments with a sigh. "Matilda, how are you dealing, with all this?" She asks, nodding to the rest of the ghosts.

"It's a lot," she admits.

"Yeah, it took me a few days to come around, seeing them," Alison smiles.

"She thought we were figments of her imagination," Pat explains.

"What's to say your not? I studied history at university for four years, I could have easily have imagined all this," Matilda states.

"We're a lot more three dimensional than any characters you could imagine," Julian tells her.

"Alison, Matilda is still worried about her boyfriend, Marcus," Pat states, ignoring Julian. "Is there any way for you to find out about him?" He asks.

"I suppose I could google your accident. I'm sure the local paper would have picked it up as a story." Alison takes her phone out.

She searches for 'car accident', 'Surrey' and 'Matilda', and finds a news article. Her eyes scan for any mention of Marcus. Matilda, Pat and the Captain crowd behind her to read over her shoulder.

"It just says the driver and passenger were taken to the nearby hospital," Alison reads out.

"You could call the hospital," Matilda suggests.

"I'm not sure they would tell me anything," Alison says, apologetically.

"Please, can you try? If I'm stuck here for a while, I need to know Marcus made it out alive." She begs.

"Okay, okay, I'll call them," she groans, pulling up the number for the nearby hospital on her phone. "What his name?"

"Marcus Lloyd," Matilda smiles.

Alison dials the number. "Hi, I'm wondering if you could tell me about a patient you have, he was taken in yesterday afternoon after a car accident. His name is Marcus Lloyd. His girlfriend managed to come to our house for help, and we called the ambulances. I just want to check he's okay." She explains to the man who answers at the hospital.

"All I can tell you is Mr Lloyd's condition is currently stable." He answers.

"Thank you, that's a relief," Alison smiles, giving a thumbs up to Matilda. "Yeah, thanks, bye."

"What did they say?" Matilda asks, a hopeful smile on her lips.

"All they said was he's in a stable condition," she repeats.

"Oh, thank you," she sighs, turning and hugging Kitty.

Kitty gasps excitedly, "Thank you, Tilly."

Matilda takes a deep breath as she pulls away, "This is all quite a lot." She states.

"Shall we go for a walk down by the lake?" Kitty suggests.

"There's a lake here?" Matilda asks.

"Of course, Thomas enjoys drowning himself there when he's upset," Kitty explains.

"I wouldn't say I enjoy it," Thomas mutters.

Matilda grins, her chest bursting with happiness. Just knowing her boyfriend is alive has brightened her mood. Surely, this proves her coma theory as well. She and Kitty walk, arms linked through the front door and out across the driveway towards the gardens. Kitty is chatting to her quite animatedly about a ball she had attended back in the day. Matilda, once again, is lost in her own thoughts. She remembers hearing about people who have awoken from comas claiming to have heard people talking to them. A nurse, or perhaps a family member or friend, must have told her about Marcus to urge her to keep fighting. There was no other way for her to know. It all makes sense. She loves history, and so her brain has come up with this elaborate nightmare to keep her occupied while the nurses and doctors healed her. It would also explain why the hospital hadn't mentioned her own condition to Alison. Matilda starts laughing. She would continue to fight to stay alive and in a positive mindset for as long as it would take for her to wake up.

"Are you alright, Tilly?" Kitty asks, inspecting her curiously.

"I'm wonderful," she drops Kitty's arms, spinning around with her arms wide. "Well, besides the obvious," she points to her head.

"Oh, yes, you seem very happy." Kitty smiles, swinging the skirt of her dress around.

"I have every reason to be happy, Kitty. My boyfriend is alive and stable, he's going to get better." She sighs contently, falling onto the damp grass, not that she can feel it.

Kitty giggles, lowering herself to sit beside her. "That is wonderful. It's a shame you're dead, though." She mentions.

"Kitty!" Matilda complains, propping herself up on her arm. "I'm trying to stay positive." She smiles. "You're a very positive person."

"Thank you, Tilly," she rests her hand upon Matilda's. "Do tell me more about Marcus. Is he handsome?" she asks, leaning closer.

Matilda chuckles. Kitty reminds her of being a teenager at school, chatting with her friends about cute boys at school, or in their teen magazines.

"How old are you, Kitty?" She asks.

"A lady never tells her age," Kitty smiles swaying as she sits.

"Well, I'm twenty-six," Matilda tells her.

"Oh, we're almost the same age." Kitty beams. "I'm twenty-eight years old, or at least I was when I died." She whispers. "It's a secret, though."

"I won't tell anyone, Kitty," Matilda whispers in return, amused by this character. "It's nice to finally meet you, Kitty," she adds, lying back down on the grass. "I remember you from the kitchen with everyone yesterday. I really love your dress."

"It's burgundy!" She exclaims. "Alison and Mike hold weddings at Button House, and during the first wedding, I was a bridesmaid."

Matilda doesn't want to think about the logistics of a ghost being a bridesmaid, so she doesn't. She closes her eyes, basking in the morning sun.

"Tilly?" Kitty shyly asks. Matilda hums for her to continues, cracking an eye open. "Now that we're friends, would it be too much if I were to ask you for a hug?" She fiddles with the hem of her dress.

Matilda sits up, "Are you alright, Kitty?"

"Sometimes, a hug is just what I need to feel better, but no one here will hug me. Alison did offer once, but it wouldn't work." She sniffs.

"Well, Kitty, it just so happens I love hugs," Matilda leans over, wrapping her arms around the other woman.

"Oh, good, this is nice. I can't remember the last time I had a hug." She says cheerfully chirps.

Matilda chuckles, breaking apart, "I like you, Kitty. You remind me of my best friend, Natalie. I don't suppose I'm going to see her for a while." She sighs.

"I wouldn't worry, everyone dies eventually." Kitty tries to comfort her. "I can be your friend now, Tilly. Although not your best friend, Alison is my best friend." She explains.

"Thanks, you can have more than one best friend, though," Matilda suggests.

"I don't think so, Tilly, a best friend means they're the best. There can only be one best friend." She smiles as she clarifies.

"Good point, Kitty." She stands up, holding her hand out for Kitty to join her. "Shall we continue to this lake then?"

This time, Matilda listens to Kitty's stories, finding them all thoroughly entertaining, if not a little worrying as she learns more about Kitty's sister. In turn, Matilda tells her new friend stories of her childhood, growing up with an elder brother that she used to argue with all the time. Kitty was pleased to hear they had grown up in similar situations, albeit four-hundred years apart, apparently.

When they reach the lake, the two women walk along the old fishing pier, perching on the end. The water doesn't so much as ripple when their feet dangle down.

"Did you have a boyfriend, Kitty?" Matilda asks, turning to her friend.

Kitty gasps, covering her mouth as she falls into a fit of giggles, "Of course not, Tilly. My father had a lot of lands, but not enough money to put forward the dowry for both my sister and me." She explains.

"Did you ever fancy anyone, though?" She asks. "You talked about your parents holding balls at Button House. There must have been some eligible young men that caught your eye." She teases.

"Tilly, you are awful." Kitty covers her face as she blushes and giggles. "Was Marcus your first boyfriend?" She asks, obviously attempting to change the topic of conversation.

"No, Marcus was my second boyfriend," Matilda answers. "I met my first boyfriend at university too, though. We were nineteen and dated for seven months. He broke up with me after Christmas." She explains.

"Why would he do that? You're a wonderful person." Kitty tells her.

"That's kind of you, but it turned out, after he met my brother at Christmas, he had more of a thing for him. They're still together now, actually." Matilda mentions.

"How awful!"

"I felt a little betrayed at first, but I moved on, and they're happy." She shrugs. "And I'm happy with Marcus." She adds.

"Will he have no mercy!" Thomas exclaims, appearing from behind the trees, stopping when he spots them.

"Are you quite alright, Thomas?" Kitty asks.

"The Captain mocks me to my face and in front of my peers, leaving me thoroughly embarrassed, and you ask me if I'm quite alright." He cries.

"Do join us, Thomas?" Kitty offers, shuffling along to make room.

"No, I simply wished to drown myself in peace, now I shall have to wait." Thomas turns on his heel, wandering off the way he appeared.

"Thomas is quite dramatic, isn't he." Matilda comments.

"Oh yes, he is," Kitty replies, missing her tone. "He is a poet, after all."

The two women stay sat on the pier a little while longer until Kitty announces Alison would be making lunch soon and she liked to watch her best friend cook. They return to Button House, going their separate ways once inside, after a friendly hug.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave REVIEWS and KUDOS!
> 
> I have an Instagram (delilah.wise) where I mainly post about my Harry Potter fanfiction. I'm trying to broaden my writing areas, and I will post about Ghosts too.


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